Western Carolina quarterback Taron Dickens delivered another prolific performance Saturday, throwing for 369 yards and five touchdowns to four different receivers as the Catamounts held off The Citadel 45-38 at Johnson Hagood Stadium.
The victory marked WCU’s fifth straight win and kept the Catamounts (5-3 overall, 4-0 SoCon) tied with Mercer atop the Southern Conference standings heading into their open week.
Dickens completed 28 of 33 passes, hitting Malik Knight twice for touchdowns and also finding James Tyre, Josiah Thomas and Dominic Dutton for scores. Tyre posted a career-best 112 yards receiving, while Knight added 103. Markel Townsend powered the ground game with 90 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries.
Defensively, Jordan Thompson led WCU with 12 tackles, while Ken Moore Jr. and Samaurie Dukes tallied 10 each.
The Citadel (3-4, 2-2 SoCon), who led for much of the first half, rushed for 278 yards and scored four times on the ground but couldn’t keep pace with the Catamounts’ balanced attack that produced 515 total yards.
Western Carolina now turns its attention to a key Nov. 1 trip to Chattanooga, a matchup that could help continue to shape the SoCon championship race. Mercer visits Cullowhee the following Saturday.
TOUCHDOWN CATAMOUNTS!!! Dickens to Dutton for the score and we lead 45-31 late in the fourth. Dickens up to 28-of-33, 369, and five touchdowns. #CatamountCountry pic.twitter.com/DcUFvDQnpC
— Western Carolina Football (@CatamountsFB) October 18, 2025
🧾 Scoring Summary: Western Carolina 45, The Citadel 38
1st Quarter
- CIT – Braylon Knauth 61-yard pass from Cobey Thompkins (Ben Barnes kick), 11:23
- WCU – Malik Knight 14-yard pass from Taron Dickens (Marcus Trout kick), 9:07
- CIT – Quentin Hayes 5-yard run (Barnes kick), 0:53
2nd Quarter
- WCU – Josiah Thomas 5-yard pass from Dickens (Trout kick), 10:41
- CIT – Barnes 42-yard field goal, 5:17
- WCU – Markel Townsend 7-yard run (Trout kick), 1:56
- WCU – Trout 25-yard field goal, 0:00
Halftime: Western Carolina 24, The Citadel 17
3rd Quarter
- WCU – James Tyre 9-yard pass from Dickens (Trout kick), 11:35
- CIT – Beau Herrington 12-yard run (Barnes kick), 5:31
- WCU – Knight 37-yard pass from Dickens (Trout kick), 2:48
4th Quarter
- CIT – Hayes 8-yard run (Barnes kick), 12:21
- WCU – Dominic Dutton 18-yard pass from Dickens (Trout kick), 3:01
- CIT – Thompkins 20-yard run (Barnes kick), 1:36
Final: Western Carolina 45, The Citadel 38
